The Senate gaveled in briefly October 10 for day two of the Third Called Special Session before Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced that the Senate would stand at ease until Thursday, October 12.
The Senate Education Committee then met and heard hours of testimony on SB 1, Chairman Brandon Creighton’s education savings account (ESA) bill.
During the discussion, Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, called for transparency on the demographics of students applying for and being selected for participation in the ESA program, noting that private school vouchers were first proposed as a means of segregation after Brown v. Board of Education in the 1950s. Similar concerns about the history of vouchers were shared at the Senate Democratic Caucus press conference the previous day as caucus members announced their opposition to the bill.
SB 1 was voted out of the committee along party lines.
It is anticipated that when the Senate convenes Thursday they will hear both SB 1 and Creighton’s SB 2 on teacher compensation and public education funding, unanimously approved by the Senate Finance Committee.
House leadership bills have not been filed as of this date, and Speaker of the House Dade Phelan has announced that the House will stand at ease until Thursday.
